At the beginning of Creation, the Torah describes the desolation of the “pre-world.” It was tohu, unformed; vohu, void; choshech, darkness; al pnai t’home, upon the face of the deep. Our Sages say these four phrases represent the four exiles of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.
The fact that these exiles were conceived of and mentioned in the Torah even before Man was created, provides an encouraging message to us. The enemies of the Jewish People are not merely bad people who choose to hurt us. (But they will be punished, don’t worry.) Rather, they are part of the Divine plan to grow us into the beings we are intended to become. The things we go through are sent for our national development, and that is just as true today as it was 5784 years ago.
We are at war, but it is part of our basic training, which will make us worthy soldiers in Hashem’s army, ready to be guided by our king, the Melech HaMoshiach, scion of King David, and vanguard of protecting Hashem’s Torah.
We pray for the welfare of our brothers and sisters around the world, wherever they may be on special assignment, and ask that He who makes peace in the Heavens, should make peace on earth, speedily and in our days.
